Section 1 – to Porth Trwyn (Llanfaethlu)

The Isle of Coastal Path officially begins at St. Cybi’s Church at grid reference SH247 826.

Leave the church in a southerly direction and follow the pedestrianised high street for approximately 100 metres. Then, turn left and cross two pedestrian bridges – the Celtic Gateway – across the harbour. Walk through the station and port terminals, and once outside turn right to exit the port. At the roundabout turn left along Turkeyshore road, heading towards a monument.

Follow the road past a couple of lanes into housing estates, and shortly turn right up a walled path. Following an enclosed path, you’ll pass behind a number of factories, a path down to the shore, and a pumping station, to come out onto a playing field. Keep to the left-hand side of the fields, heading through a gap in a hedge at one point. Head past the play area and football field, and you’ll head towards the chimney of Anglesey Aluminium.

Go through two big stone gateposts and follow an enclosed path to come out by some disused toilets at a car park. Bear left to follow a surfaced path along an embankment behind Traeth Penrhos. At the end of the embankment you’ll reach a cream coloured house and another car park and you’ll need to bear left. Follow a narrow path along the coastline, and on arriving at a large stone wall go through the gap and bear left. Pass The Battery, and follow the fenced path around the headland. At a junction with a tarmac road turn left towards the access track to The Bathing House. On reaching the access track turn right and follow it until you reach another junction in the paths. At this point turn left onto the headland heading up the left-hand side of the field up to Gorsedd y Penrhyn.

On reaching a seating area at Gorsedd y Penrhyn bear right down the other side of the field following the coastline towards a white building visible in the Coastal Park. At a track turn left, passing a pond. On approaching Beddmanarch house, follow the path to the right, turning left around a graveyard, and then turn left again through a gap in a wall. When you reach the coast, turn right (away from Beddmanarch House), past the memorial and a flag pole to join a surfaced path towards the Toll House. Go through Penrhos Coastal Park car park, past the toilets and along the drive past the Toll House café to join the main road. Turn left. Go through the gate and walk along the with the crash barrier between you and the traffic.

On reaching the other side of the Inland Sea turn left. There is a beach option and an inland option here.

Beach option

Go through the gap in the fence and turn right along the shore. After passing two paths that come down onto the shore, you’ll come out onto Gorad beach, where Gorad Road comes out.

Inland option

Go through the gap in the fence behind the ATS garage, and follow the path around to the right, up some steps to come out into a field. Cross the field and pass along an enclosed path to come out into Newlands Park housing estate. Follow the road straight on and turn left down Gorad road. At the end of the housing estates, turn left along the lane towards the beach. Shortly turn right onto a fenced path and follow it down some steps onto Gorad Beach.

Walk across the beach, past the cottage called Wavecrest, and on approaching the house Penrhyn Bach bear right up a couple of steps next to a gate. Follow an enclosed path behind the house. Cross a track, and carry on along an enclosed track to come out at a gate on the banks of the River Alaw.

At the time of writing there is no safe crossing of the Alaw, therefore it is recommended that walkers retrace their steps back to Gorad road, turning left to follow the lane to the main road at . You can then catch bus 61 to .

At the Gwesty Holland Hotel in Llanfachraeth turn left, and follow Minffordd lane to its terminus. Go over the bridge in front of Neuadd Wen and turn left through a kissing gate. Walk along the river bank (the river Alaw should be on your left) cross a step stile following the hedge on your right across a field. Go over another step stile to re-join the bank of the river. Cross a stone stile in a wall, and then a ladder stile into a field walking towards on the horizon. Turn left over the next ladder stile, along a short section of track and then over another stile into a field. Turn right and follow the low stone wall, at the gateway bearing right towards the chimney of Anglesey Aluminium on the horizon. After a small rise you should begin to bear left and you’ll come to a ladder stile, cross it and keep bearing left, away from the wall. You are now at the area marked Rabbit Warren on the OS Explorer map. Keep walking in the direction of the chimney on the horizon, and at some old buildings bear left over a step stile along an embankment. Cross the stile at the end of the embankment, and entering an area of heath proceed straight ahead, then bear right towards the ruined cottage of Tywyn-Gwyn. Pass in front of the cottage, over a stile and head left along a track to the shore. Go over the step stile onto the shore and turn right.

Follow the shoreline and the farm Penial Dowyn will come into view. Before reaching Penial Dowyn along the shore, turn right onto a track, and then left down the farm drive. Just before the house and the cattle grid turn right over the stile. Go up the hill in front of the house over the stone stile, up to the top of the hill over the double stile at the top. Walk down the next field, with Penial Fawr on your right, and over the stile. Join a track heading towards the beach, through a gate and at a split in the way take the left hand track, through the wooden gate, over the stiles to turn left along the drive to Penrhyn Caravan Park.

At the cattle-grid by Penrhyn house bear right along the track past the farm buildings. Carry straight on past the Penrhyn Caravan Park sign, with the tennis courts on your left, through a metal kissing gate, and proceed down the track (ignoring the timber gate into the caravan site) to the beach of Porth Tywyn Mawr. On reaching a second caravan site at Tywyn Hir you can either turn left, walk a short section along the beach, and return to the coastal path along a connecting path, or turn right and follow a track left through the front field of the caravan site and out along the drive. You meet a lane. Turn right, then almost immediately left and follow a path parallel with the beach, passing through two stone gateposts, to come out by a white house onto a lane. Follow the lane down the hill, and at a junction bear left. Walk past some buildings (Dryll y Gro on your left) and bear left at a gateway down onto Porth Trefadog beach. Cross the beach, and up the steps onto a path around the headland. Go over a ladder stile, and follow the path through a wicket gate and straight on along a track. Walk past the drive to Pen Terfyn, and carry straight on. Join the tarmaced road, past Ty Glan y Môr on the right and at the brow of a hill turn left onto a fenced path over a ladder stile. At the coast go through the kissing gate and turn right, over a foot-bridge and follow the clawdd bank (on your right) around a headland. Go over a step stile, and join a grassy track. You will meet a drive, and are now at Porth Trwyn bay.

To catch the bus back to Holyhead – turn left along the road from Porth Trwyn, and shortly turn right up the drive to Plas y Gwynt. Pass the house and over the stile to your right, walking up the field with the hedge on your left. Cross over the ladder stile, and continue up the next field. Turn left over a stile, through a wooded area, through a gate and then over a stile. Turn right along a track, and right again along a drive away from Carreglwyd house and over a cattle grid. Follow the drive up the hill through an open field, over another cattle grid, and turn left along the road into Llanfaethlu. You can catch the bus next to the village shop.